A tale of Dobby's
by J.K. Pondering
Summary: Dobby's looking for a job!!


A Tale of Dobby's  
  
"Hello sir, I is Dobby. I a house-elf. Is sir needing any house-elf?" Dobby squeaked hopefully as a little boy wielding a broomstick opened the door.  
  
The little boy blinked. He zigzagged away, squealing, "Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! KRUM!! KRUM!! KRUM! Zoom!! THE SNITCH!!! YES!! I GOT IT, I GOT IT!!!!!!!!! PAPA!!! HOUSE-ELF!!!"  
  
The door slammed in Dobby's face, then opened again.  
  
"Hello sir! I is Dobby. I is a house-elf. Is you needing any house-elf?" Dobby repeated, glancing and smiling hopefully at the burly man who had opened the door.  
  
The burly man looked Dobby up and down.  
  
"Dobby can do work! Work!!" Dobby nodded repeatedly and proudly, emphasizing on the last few words. The man said nothing, but continued looking doubtfully at Dobby.  
  
The man finally replied, "All right then. Come on in."  
  
The man opened the door wider to allow space for Dobby to get in. He then went into the kitchen and came out with a checkered tablecloth. "You can wear this." He said.  
  
Dobby's eyes widened. "Oh! But Dobby wants keeps clothes!" He exclaimed.  
  
The man spun around and looked at him.  
  
Dobby cowered. He began timidly, "Dobby is wanting pay of one galleon a week too."  
  
The man blinked.  
  
"This is. WHOA! " The man yelled, banging an iron against the refrigerator, then finding out he hadn't any refrigerator and falling onto the kitchen floor.  
  
"I'm DREAMING, MERLIN'S BEARD!! IT'S MIDDAY AND I'M BLOODY DREAMING!"  
  
Dobby gave a shrill scream. The iron brought back bad memories.Oh yes it did... He quickly snapped his fingers and vanished, leaving the poor, disturbed man in a state of profound insanity.  
  
*  
  
"Dobby is wanting a home only!" Dobby cried piteously as he trudged through the muddy puddles on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. After so many failed attempts at trying to get a job, it was only natural that despair was felt, which explained why Dobby the house-elf was despairing so.  
  
He squatted down by a shabby old shack, feeling rather dirty and bored. He poked the mud with his finger and found out that it got dirty. He decided not to poke the mud anymore. He decided to sing a song.  
  
"Dobby likes the song master sings. Dobby is sang that song. Dobby is going to sing that song." Dobby thought, cheering up.  
  
*  
  
"My BONNIE lies over the ocean, MY bonnie lies over the sea-a-a, my bonnie lies over the OCEAAAAN! So bring back my BONNIE to me!!" Dobby's shrill voice rang high into the air, penetrating through the wooden walls of the Shrieking Shack to the other side of it.  
  
"Oh woe is me! I swear I'm never going near that place, NEVER!" A frail old witch cried out dramatically before hobbling away hastily.  
  
*  
  
Dobby was definitely happier now. He stood up and snapped his fingers, transporting himself to the other side of the Shrieking Shack.  
  
The frail old witch did not hobble very fast, albeit her efforts. Therefore, when Dobby transported himself, he managed -most unfortunately- to appear right in front of the frail old witch, tennis-ball eyes and all. It was too much for her, she decided, and therefore, she fainted.  
  
*  
  
Slap. Slap.  
  
The frail old witch awoke, only to be greeted by the very thing which made her faint. This was not too much for her now, she decided, therefore, she did not faint, but instead, stood up and dusted herself before hobbling away and proclaiming that she was woe.  
  
*  
  
Zapidizap!  
  
Lightning bolts streaked across the sky.  
  
Dobby woke. The lightning bolt reminded him of something. He couldn't think what that something was, though.  
  
"Dobby is can't think what is it," he announced gravely.  
  
More lightning bolts flashed. "Dobby is still can't think what is it."  
  
*  
  
"Hello there!" A pleasant, amiable voice woke Dobby from his dreams. "What are you doing here?" It said.  
  
Dobby pulled his eyelids up. He was greeted by a mass of white hair and glinting glasses. Dobby shrieked in horror, realizing it was a person. "Sorry, sir, sorry! Dobby is apologizing, sir! Dobby is not knowing sir is a people, Dobby begs sir to forgive Dobby for not knowing sir is a people!"  
  
The person chuckled merrily and patted Dobby. "Well, I must be on my way, then. Goodbye, Dobby." He said, smiling.  
  
"No, sir! Wait, sir! Dobby is wanting to talk!" Dobby suddenly thought of a clever idea. He was very happy with himself for thoughting such a wonderful idea. "Sir, do you want a house-elf? Dobby is looking for job that wants paying!" Dobby smiled widely, looking optimistically at the person.  
  
"Well, of course! Is ten galleons a week enough?"  
  
"Sir is too kind! Dobby is not wanting so much, Dobby is not wanting too much!"  
  
"Five galleons then?"  
  
"Sir is still too kind, Dobby still is not wanting so much."  
  
"One, then?"  
  
Dobby hesitated, pondering.  
  
"That's settled then! You can have weekends off too!"  
  
"NO, SIR!! YOU ARE TOO KIND!!" Dobby shrieked hysterically.  
  
"How many days do you want off then?" The person asked kindly.  
  
"One day a year, sir." Dobby said, smiling happily.  
  
"That's too little, Dobby! How about one day a month?"  
  
"Oh, SIR!! YOU ARE TOO KIND!!!" Dobby rushed forward to embrace the person, weeping.  
  
The person patted him, pretty much amused by now, and said. "You can even call me a nasty old codger, if you want."  
  
"NO!! Dobby is saying no thing like that!" Dobby screamed, looking simply appalled.  
  
The person just chuckled, then asked, "By the way, you look rather familiar. Have I seen you before?"  
  
"Dobby is seeing sir before, Dobby thinks. Dobby thinks he sees a bird with sir."  
  
"Ah, you must have seen Fawkes."  
  
"Dobby says sorry to sir, but Dobby is seeing no forks with sir that time." Dobby said seriously.  
  
The person chuckled again. "No matter. By the way, I'm Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."  
  
"DOBBY KNOWS!! DOBBY KNOWS WHAT LIGHTNING BOLT WAS TRYING TO TELL ME!! HARRY POTTER!!"  
  
"Ah," Professor Dumbledore said, adding, "now, Dobby, I really need to leave. Why don't you leave for Hogwarts? I'm sure you know the way; you've been there before, haven't you? You were Lucius's house-elf?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Dobby will. Yes, sir. Dobby have. Yes, sir. Dobby were." Dobby answered meekly. Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, see you then!"  
  
With snaps of fingers, both were gone. 


End file.
